Car crash leaves toddler and man dead

A two-year-old boy and a man have been killed in a head-on collision which has
left the child's parents fighting for their lives.

A black Vauxhall Vectra driven by a Polish man in his 20s, collided with a car carrying the family-of-three from Ireland, between Gallows Gate and Kerswell Gardens

9:43AM BST 07 Jul 2012

The high-speed crash happened in Hamelin Way, Torquay, Devon, at around 2.45pm on Friday.

A black Vauxhall Vectra driven by a Polish man in his 20s, collided with a car carrying the family-of-three from Ireland, between Gallows Gate and Kerswell Gardens.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said the mother and father remained in a "critical life threatening condition" in hospital and police were working to contact their next of kin. The incident was witnessed by a police officer, who went to help immediately.

All four occupants of the cars were taken by air and land ambulances to Torbay Hospital in Torquay and Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. The driver of the Vauxhall Vectra was arrested before being taken to hospital, where he subsequently died.

Police family liaison officers are with the family of the man, who lived in Torquay.

Paul Netherton, Assistant Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, described the incident as "extremely traumatic".

He said: "It was a head-on collision at speed. The black Vectra was coming down the hill and appears to have swerved into the path of the oncoming car. The members of the family are in a critical life-threatening condition in Derriford and Torbay hospitals.

"We are trying to identify their next of kin in southern Ireland to inform them, and the next of kin for the gentleman who has died have been informed and our thoughts are obviously with the families involved at this time.

Mr Netherton said because the driver of a police car witnessed the crash, the force has referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission as a matter of course. The officer's police car had not been pursuing the vehicles.